Mistakes Unforgived
by Mangoesss
Summary: Kaoru hates men. Being the most popular girl at school, she will do anything make sure the boys will suffer. What happens when she meets Kenshin, a super dorky nerd at school? Will he be able to change her view, and make her realize there is true love?RR!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own RK! :(

Hah, not my first story, but my first attempt to write a AU ficcie. Please read! Give it a chance! :)

* * *

Soft violet eyes pleaded to those of hard sapphire blue.

"Please don't leave me…" Kenshin said softly. He reached for her.

She looked at him with no expression on her face. "You don't understand," she said with a stern voice. "What we had was just a first stage of practice, nothing else. It's time to move on now, and you have to do it."

"NO! That's not true. What we had was love…" He pulled her body against his, relishing her warmth again. Not being able to have her in his arms for one whole month was torture. "I love you, so much…" he whispered against the top of her head.

Kaoru's heart clenched. She had to do this, she just had to. For the sake of her goal, for the sake of her living purpose… _This boy_, she thought, _he's simply caught up in the moment, there's no way he truly loves me. All men are like this. Why must he be any different_?

Kaoru pushed him away and turned away from him. "It's over. I've moved on, and you have to learn that I was your first, and you will have seconds, thirds, fourths, and so forth. I'm not the one, and you can already see that. Do you understand?"

"No... Kaoru, please. Just give me another chance. I don't know what I did wrong... maybe I'm just being too obsessive with you. But I promise, I'll give you more space to yourself, I won't call you everyday, I won't walk you home every day from school... But Just don't do this... I'd rather die than for you to leave me alone. I need you... so much."

"No. That's my final answer."

"Kaoru, you can't do this. You... you can't," Kenshin looked at her again with shaking eyes, as tears slowly began to slid.

"..."

"Koishii..." He raised his arms and attempted to hold her again. However, she did not object this time.

Kenshin looked at her blank expression, and knew this is his chance. He must act to keep her. He bent his head down, towards her soft pink lips. "I love you, koishii..." he whispered, as he planted a soft kiss on her lips. She did not respond, however, Kenshin did not waste any time. He slowly slid his tongue inside her, relishing her sweet taste. His left hand caressed the small of her back and his right hand held her tightly against him. Kaoru loved the touch of his hands on her, the things he can do to her, as she began to respond and play with his tongue with equal passion.

Suddenly, a voice began in Kaoru's head, _Kaoru-chan, you have to always remember that men will play you. They are no-good beings who will destroy your life. You must learn how to play them... Revenge, Kaoru-chan, revenge. _It was her mother's voice.

It hit her, to come back to reality. She pushed him away with great force.

"Good bye, and don't come after me." she replied finally, with a harsh voice that can kill. She turned around, leaving a confused Kenshin behind, sobbing his eyes out.

* * *

Awww, poor Kenshin. And Kaoru's not _really_, the villain here. As you can see, her mother plays a role somehow. I promise, this is the prologue, but it's a preview of what happens in the middle of the story, so this isn't the end of KK! Next chapter will be the official chapter 1, so not much fluff yet, but will be better than this chapter! :)

R&R plz.


	2. Day 0

Disclaimer: I don't own RK!

YAY. Chapter 1's up. This chapter kind of feels rushed to me, but it's for readers to decide! :)

WARNING: Rating may change in the future.

R&R PLZ! I love you :)

* * *

"Okaa-san..." A young Kaoru sat by her mother's death bed, her small hands holding her still young hands. Her mother was only in her early thirties, with Kaoru being less than five years old. "Onegai... Don't leave me."

Kaoru was sobbing for quite a while; her mother being sick as she is, for god knows how long. And it was all because of her father...

"Kaoru-chan, please stop crying sweetie." Her mother lifted her hand and wiped some of her tears away. "Sweetie, everything will be okay... don't cry anymore."

"I-it's all his fault!" Kaoru sobbed. "He's nevah home, and he never gives you flowers! All my other friends' daddies give their mommies flowers!"

"It's okay honey... It's okay. H-he's just... busy."

"Okaa-san... I saw him bring home another lady once," Kaoru whispered softly.

"I know sweetie, I know."

"Okaa-san, we read Cinderelly today at school today. And the prince only loves Cinderelly, not another lady. The Prince is good, so that means Otou-san is bad!"

"Kaoru-chan... p-please... your otou-san...your otou-san...he... h-he just doesn't l-love me anymore," her mother replied with a broken sob. "I... you have to be strong for me, Kaoru-chan."

"Okaa-chan... I love you!" Kaoru started sobbing again, climbed onto the bed and embraced her mother.

"It's okay honey..."

Kaoru continued sobbing. "I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM! :sniff: I HATE HIM FOR DOING THIS TO YOU!" She screeched with her high pitched voice.

"Kaoru-chan, you have to always remember that men will play you. They are no-good beings who will destroy your life. You must learn how to play them... Revenge..." "Kaoru-chan, revenge," her mother repeated. "You and Aoshi... you two have to look after each other...:cough:"

"I... :sniff: understand," Kaoru replied.

"Sweetie, :cough: will you tell me the story :cough: of Cinder_elly_?" Her mother tried to mimic her alteration of Cinderella. "I... :cough: think I want to go to sleep for a while... :cough: Tell me :cough: a story honey..."

"Hai, okaa-chan," Kaoru obediently replied. "Once upon a time..."

No one knew how long Kaoru started telling the story, but during some time in between, she was not aware of the way her mother let go of her hands, and started drifting to an eternal sleep.

No one knew there was also another being, who was watching the both of them, and had heard every single word of their conversation.

* * *

_11 years later..._

Kamiya Kaoru was almost 16 years old. She was known as the "fling-girl" at Tokyo Private Academy (yeah, I made up the school so no need for disclaimers! :D), whose relationships never lasted for a long period of time, and some started almost immediately after the other. No one ever dared to talk behind her back though, because every girl envied her beauty, intelligence, and talents, whereas almost every boy couldn't wait to get their hands over her curvious body. Teachers also never cared, due to her social status; her father being both a kendo instructor and a very famous lawyer, Kamiya Koshijiro.

As she shutted her car door...

"KAORU!" A young girl with a long, low pony-tail chased after another with long raven hair in a high pony tail.

The figure before her stopped and turned around. "Misao-chan!" Kaoru greeted her best friend with a bright smile. "Ohayo."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I totally woke up late today, and is this your new car?! Oh my gosh! It's so pretty! How much did it cost? Oh! Did you study for the math test? What are we having for lunch today? And did you know that Aoshi-sama asked me out? I think I'm dressed a little too weird today and-"

"Whoa there Misao, hang in there," Kaoru placed a hand over her mouth. As big-mouthed her best friend could be, Kaoru still loved her very much, being the one who's there for her whenever she needed someone the most. "One, it's fine, I just drove to school without you, and seemingly you still got here on time. Two, no, I don't need to study for the math test because I can ace it without studying and Shimizu-sensei will give me an A however I do on tests. Three, I did not pay for this car, of course _he _would be the one who pays. Four, you can pick whatever we're having, and five," Kaoru took a deep breath. "AOSHI-KUN, WHAT?"

"He asked me out," Misao said with a big smile.

"MISAO-CHAN!" Kaoru swung her arms around her best friend, embracing her tightly. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Oh, Kaoru, I know your prejudice against the male population but you know that Aoshi is a good man, so I'm really happy that you're willing to give him a chance," Misao replied as she hugged her back.

"Of course. Because he's gay," Kaoru replied with a wicked grin.

"KAORU!" Misao retored angrily.

"Hey! I'm just joking!" Kaoru replied back nervously.

Shinomori Aoshi was practically the only guy Kaoru had nothing against. Part of it was that Misao is simply obsessed with him and he is also her older cousin from her mother's side. Her mother's older sister and brother-in-law had died in a car accident 12 years ago, and her mother was kind enough to take Aoshi in and decided to raise him.

"Speaking of this topic, Kaoru... you and Seta-kun...?" Misao let go of her best friend, and asked nervously.

"I'm ending it today," Kaoru glanced to the side with a blank expression. "Today's our 1 week anniversary," Kaoru smiled to herself.

"Kaoru..." Misao whispered lightly with a sad and confused face. Misao did not say anything else, however. She knew her best friend's actions better than algebra equations. And this had been almost been a routine for the last two years. Misao couldn't count with her fingers plus her toes how many boyfriends Kaoru had dated over the last two years! Some seemed serious, but Misao knew in reality, none were _ever_ serious in Kaoru's perspective.

"It's okay Misao. We're going to be late to math if we don't hurry!" Kaoru grabbed her hand and ran.

Misao looked passed their previous conversation and her mouth curved upward into a small smile. It was this light-spirit personality of Kaoru's Misao had always adored ever since she met her. The first time she met Kaoru was in middle school, which was about three years ago (in Japan, I believe, high school starts in 10th grade, and middle school is usually 3 years). She was bullied by a large boy because of her small figure and height. Kaoru stood her up with a punch in that guy's face, and had thrown at him very profane language, which had caused Kaoru's father to come to the school for a visit. However, things like these were always solved in less than 10 minutes, due to their social status and Kamiya Koshijiro's colloquialism. Misao, admiring Kaoru's bravery and spirit, had always followed her around school after that incident. The two girls were never really away from each other starting from then...

She knew about Kaoru's hatred for the male population, but she never dared to ask why. She knew Kaoru was a kind-hearted girl who is willing to put other's before her, but there must have been something that happened before, something she doesn't know about. She did suspect something about the aloof relationship she and her father had though... being that she had only seen her father twice in her life. She hung out at Kaoru's glamourous home quite frequently, which partially sparked her interest for Aoshi.

There were many questions she has regarding Kaoru's life, but this is when she supresses her nosiness. She knew this is one issue Kaoru does not share with anyone. And she is willing to let it go to perserve this practically unbreakable friendship she and Kaoru share. She looked down at their friendship bracelet hanging fragily on her wrist. _I'll do my best to be a best friend, Kaoru. _Misao thought.

* * *

A certain red-head, better known as Himura Kenshin, walked towards the crowded cafeteria for lunch. _Another hour of dreadfulness until this day ends. Stupid Hiko-sensei, he knew I would never fit into this school filled with nice and good-looking people all with high IQ's from very high class families, whereas I only have one of those traits. A public school would've been better for someone like me where social status wouldn't be so important._ In the entrance, he heard a conversation going on.

"Kaoru-chan!" Soujiro smiled brightly at Kaoru as he ran towards her. He looked at her warmly with his chocolate brown eyes. "It's so good to see you today. I missed you..." He approached her and attempted to hug her. However, Kaoru placed her hand above his arm, to stop him.

_It's Kamiya Kaoru... _Kenshin blushed slightly as he glanced at her curves. She was wearing the school uniform, that every other girl also wore. _But she is the only one who makes that ugly uniform look actually presentable. Dammit, she should be a model or something! _She was indeed the most desirable female in this school, with her classy personality and just about every aspect of her was appealing. _Yet I can only admire her from afar during Kendo club meetings. Pft, I don't even have a class with her!_

She began to spoke, as Kenshin eavesdropped intently behind the wall.

"Soujiro-kun," Kaoru cleared her throat. She's done this millions of times, why would this time be any different? There's no need for anxiety. Although this was one of her shortest relationships, she and Soujiro really hadn't done anything special together after all, so why should it matter to her? _Because he was always so kind to you_, a voice answered in her head. Kaoru sighed softly. "I know this might be hard on both of us, but I have to say it. I'm failing math."

Soujiro looked at her speechlessly. He thought she was going to move away some where far and they might have a long distance relationship, and other possibilities of drastic measures... however, he was NOT expecting this. "Ano... I can tutor you," he said with his famous grin.

Kenshin almost laughed out loud, but just had to suppress the noise he could make.

"No, Soujiro-kun. I didn't finish yet. I feel like being with you is a waste of my time," Kaoru tried to sound cruel, afterall, this was her goal. "No offense though. We're not doing anything special, and school's been hard on me, ya'know? So I think I should end it for now, and maybe see how thing's are gonna go? Alright?" she tip-toed and gave Soujiro a soft peck on the cheek. "See you around."

"M-matte!" Soujiro said very quickly. "Kaoru-chan... you can't be serious... it's only been a week... Kaoru...I...I thought we... I thought we were...." He just couldn't get the rest of his words out. _In love_, he finished in his head. The last week of their relationship was better than how he dreamed of it. Watching movies, going to amusement parks, taking photobooth pictures, for the entire weekend. He loved spending time with her, and he was determined to learn more of her.

"You must've misunderstood something Seta-kun. The things I did with you aren't even compared to that of Misao-chan's. I actually only considered you nothing more than a friend."

_Seta-kun... _Soujiro stared at her with his sad brown eyes. "I... See you around, Kamiya-san." He slowly walked away, and not even aware of the figure with bright red hair whom he passed by.

Kaoru turned around, knowing this boy would probably be soon in the bathroom sobbing. _Love,_ she thought to herself. "Pathetic."

She then saw flecks of red strands move behind the wall. She grinned to herself, knowing someone's been eavesdropping. "You can come out now, now that I know you're there."

Kenshin was shocked! How did she know he was there?

"If you're not going to come out within the next three seconds, I will be very upset," Kaoru threatened and looked down at her watch.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap. Just when I thought in the future maybe I can impress her, and this will be the first impression I give her._ Kenshin panicked.

"1... 2..."

Kenshin stepped out immediately. "Gomen ne! I was just passing by, and I didn't hear much..." _DIDN'T HEAR MUCH? HIMURA, YOU RETARD._

Kaoru looked at this red-head with round glasses with intrigue. _Hmm, red hair. You don't see that often around here_. She walked towards him and stopped literally when her face less two inches from his face. She placed her thumb and pointer around a few strands of his hair, that were loose from his high ponytail. "Kirei..." she said softy.

Kenshin stared at her wide-eyed, and could not believe what was happening. He could feel her breath on his lips, and he had such a forbidden urge to so something to those sweet lips of hers... but... _I have my glasses on._

Kaoru let go of the strands of hair, and they slowly fell from his head, onto his shoulder. They contrasted against his black uniform. Kaoru picked up those loose strands and placed them on her palm. "May I keep these?" She teased.

"H-h-hai..." Kenshin replied nervously, still caught up in the previous position they were in. _Was she about to kiss me?_

"See you around, handsome," Kaoru winked at him, as she walked away with her pony-tail swaying side to side from behind.

_She... called me handsome_. Kenshin stared wide-eyed into space. "Oh my god..."

Kaoru walked into the crowded cafeteria and was welcomed by a over-hyper Misao. Misao greeted Kaoru with a big hug and bright smile as Kaoru thought to herself, _Next target, found. _

Little did Kenshin know, Kaoru has more in plan for him than just some simply hair requests.

* * *

OKAY. FINISHED. I have no beta reader, so you guys have to understand my grammar/spelling mistakes. Also, I'm taking for granted the common Japanese phrases I see in other fanfictions, that you guys know it too. If there's any request for a glossary, just say it! I'll be happy to provide one ;).

More on Kaoru's character: Okay, so she seems like a spoiled bitch and whatever, but trust me! This is not who she is! Don't judge her yet! Please please please!

Next chapter: Kaoru and Kenshin spars in Kendo Club meeting! With two bodies sweating relentlessly, there's gonna be _more_ **contacting** than just swords. :wink wink:

Review replies:

CloudRed1988: Hah! I know, poor Kenshin. But he does need to suffer for the sake of the plot.

Arshies: Haha, this idea just came to my head. And I felt the need to make a RK story outta it. But then again, it probably is from a movie or something, if it seems familiar to you. But I just have no idea if it was or not. I'm not saying the idea is completely original though! But as far as I've read, there hasn't been a similar plot. So it feels safe to write. xD


	3. Day 5

Hi readers! Finally updated after a year... but I'm not happy with how this chapter turned out, at all. I hope I can get some feedbacks, both postive and negative. To boost my confidence to continue with this ficcie and to improve my writing. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own RK.

* * *

It was about 11:30PM at the Kamiya's Mansion. With all the servants napping and her father on a business trip, Kaoru felt free to cry. She sat in her room on her grandeur canopy bed in her silk pajamas, holding the only picture left of her mother close to her chest, and wept silently.

"Okaa-chan…" She whispered as she stared at her mother's kind smiling face. This was a picture of her mother taken before she got married to her father, during her graduation. "I miss you so much… Life is so hard—to the point I don't know what to do… Those boys… I hate them, I hate them so much. All they care about is my beauty and my body, but never do they actually care about _me_. But I'm starting to get tired… Do I have to continue with this charade? I just want to live as a normal teenager…" Her voice almost choked.

She slowly succumbed to sleep as she wept softly to herself. There was not a single night when she did not miss her mother.

"Kaoru-chan, Kaoru-chan," a voice repeated.

Kaoru felt as if she were floating. Her eyes were closed, and she knew she was dreaming. Too good to be true. Everything felt so weightless, as if all the hardships of life did not exist. Even the scent of the air was soothing and calming.

"My child, Kaoru…" the voice continued.

Kaoru opened her eyes to see the young and beautiful woman in front of her. Her eyes were dreary and she did not have a kind smile on her face—unlike the picture from earlier.

Her mother approached her, with her arms extended. "Child, you cannot give up. This revenge… Think back to how your father treated me. All men are the same—they feel attracted to you at that moment of heat, and throw you away after you've deteriorated. You must always remember to never fall enough, and continue what you're doing. Don't keep in mind what others think of you—it's for me child. This is revenge for me. Think of all that I've suffered before my death, onegai. Kaoru I love you so much, but I want you to do this for me. Please."

"Okaa-chan," Kaoru whispered. She glided, as if in air, into her mother's welcoming arms. "I understand what I have to do, but everything seems like a blur to me. Do you really love me? Is this really the right thing to do?"

"Kaoru," her mom whispered softly and held her tightly. "I…"

* * *

"Kaoru-sama, Kaoru-sama," A voice said.

Kaoru slowly opened her eyes and saw Tsubame, her personal maid, shaking her. "Kamiya-sama is on the phone asking for you," she said as she held the handset out towards Kaoru.

_Him…_ Kaoru thought carefully to herself. She slowly sat up and received the phone from Tsubame. She glanced at the clock next to her nightstand and saw that it was already 9:30 AM. She was late.

"Gomen ne!" Tsubame said in response to Kaoru's action. "Shinomori-sama told us not to wake you up earlier because he said you should take the day off today. You're in no condition to go to school today, especially you have a Kendo tournament…"

Kaoru's head shot up and stared at the young girl's brown frightened eyes. "Tsubame, go prepare for me. I need to get ready."

"Hai," Tsubame replied and hurriedly left the room.

Kaoru sighed and stared down at the phone she held in her hand. _At least he had some incentive to call me… _She placed the phone close to her ear and listened for any background sound. Nothing.

"Hai," Kaoru spoke into the phone.

"You're at home right now," a stern voice spoke from the other end. "Why." Her father did not even make that a question.

"That's none of your concern," Kaoru replied. How dare he question her like that? He wasn't even present to know what's going on!

"It's every bit of my concern that you are not fulfilling your duty. You are to get up and get dressed for school at this moment." Her father remained calm and collected at the other end.

"Just because your family helped fund the establishment of this school doesn't mean I am responsible to act as a model student. What am I now? The nineteenth generation?"

"Go get dressed, _now_." Kaoru could almost hear the crack at the last word. "Before I ask for Megumi-sensei."

Kaoru grimaced. Megumi was not someone she needed to deal with right now. "Enjoy your business trip," she hung up the phone.

Kaoru sighed. She knew that if Megumi came over, her life will be hell. Megumi was the family doctor, as well as Kaoru's "nanny." Ever since Kaoru was little, Megumi not only acted as a teacher but as a mother as well. But Kaoru never accepted her because of her motherly acts. No one can be her mother than her real mother. She appreciated her efforts initially, but the fact that she was one of her father's pawns, she could never bring herself to like her. The one time when she straight out told Megumi to get the hell out of her life, the raven haired doctor became outraged. Gone were the fun tutoring lessons and the trips to the amusement parks. But her father made a deal with her—if she would start attending Tokyo Private Academy starting in middle school, he will no longer have Megumi as her mentor. She accepted the deal, despite never wanting to attend the academy in the first place because it was what her father had wanted. If she obliged to any of her father's wishes, it would be over her dead body.

Kaoru glanced at the clock again, 9:37 AM. _Whatever_, Kaoru thought as she got up and headed towards the bathroom. _If I weren't Kamiya Koshijiro's daughter, they would've expelled me by now._

* * *

"Kaoru," I'm so sorry! I can't come to your Kendo tournament today," Misao said to Kaoru in the locker room as Kaoru was preparing to change into her Kendo uniform.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked, half smiling.

Misao blushed profusely. "Well you see, tomorrow…"

"Is Saturday," Kaoru finished for her.

"Well yes… But…"

"But you have a date with Aoshi and you want to get your hair done, your nails done, and pick out the perfect outfit for tomorrow, and because it is the first date ever." Kaoru cited as if it were a poem.

"Kaoru-chan I love you!" Misao happily said as she gave her best friend a big bear hug. "Thank you thank you thank for being so forgiving!"

Kaoru chuckled lightly, the laughter sounding like music. "Misao-chan, you could've just straight out told me. I support you and Aoshi-kun 100%."

Misao pecked Kaoru lightly on the cheeks and smiled brightly. "Thanks again Kaoru-chan! I promise I will attend the next tournament. Promise promise promise!"

"Haha okay, Misao-chan," Kaoru replied. "You should go now; I'm sure you simply can't wait to get to that salon," Kaoru finished with a wink.

Misao bounced as she left the locker room.

* * *

"Shishou," Kenshin said sternly into the phone. "I'm _not_ joining the Kendo class. I quit last week remember? My hopes and dreams would be to graduate from this school without anyone knowing who I am. It was part of our deal."

"Well you certainly achieved that with that red hair of yours," the tall and bulky man said in response. He was Hiko Seijuro, the thirteenth CEO of the Hiten Mitsurugi Company. Although he was very wealthy, he was also skilled at covering that up, especially to his adopted son. He wanted his son to experience the bitterness of life, making sure he grew up in a poor environment so that in the future, he would have the moral potential to take after the company.

"…"

"Baka deshi, those skills I've taught you cannot go to waste. You have never practiced these skills with anyone else other than me or practice dummies. Don't you want to see how exactly capable you are? There's finally a tournament today and it's the best opportunity for you."

Kenshin pondered for a second. Although he loved to practice the sword, he never wanted to _show off_ per say. And the first two club meetings he attended were too tedious for his taste. Except when he would stare mindlessly at…

"I'm waiting for an answer," Hiko said into the phone.

Kenshin believed that the sword will be used to protect the ones who will be in need in the future, but never to display to others. But what if he was weak? What if he wasn't strong enough to protect the needy ones and those who are important to him? He definitely needed to test his skills.

"So I take that as a yes?" Hiko's voice repeated on the other line.

"I'll think about it," the red-haired young man replied. He knew that he will oblige but he did not want his father to get his way that easily.

* * *

"Welcome to the Tokyo Private Academy's fifteenth tournament of the year!" the Kendo coach said. The best of the best of the members of the class were present today, including Shinomori Aoshi and Seta Soujiro. Everyone present was sitting on the bleachers as the coach spoke with a loud and ringing voice. "We have a new student joining the class today. He will be participating in the tournament as well, just so we can see if he will belong with us."

This certainly sparked Kaoru's interest. Although she was the only female member of this class, and her father strongly detested her involvement in this class (much to her liking), the only true opponents of hers were Aoshi and Soujiro. Aoshi sparred with her frequently at home, and he always let her have her way. But she wasn't happy. She knew that Aoshi was much stronger and wanted to win against him for real one day. Kendo was something she truly loved and she will never let her father get in the way of that.

"Let us give a big welcoming hand to Himura Kenshin!"

Kenshin entered the gymnasium in his Kendo uniform and a sword and mask in each hand. His red hair was tied up in a high pony-tail. Kaoru stared at this young man with wide sapphire eyes—it was him, that young man she encountered the other day, yet at the same time, he wasn't. This young man standing ten feet away from her was handsome. Without his glasses, he looked very well defined, with an apparently handsome face. With the uniform, he appeared not as the wimpy guy from the other day, but as a brave warrior.

"We will begin with a voluntary match between Himura and another student," the coach said. "Any volunteers?"

Soujiro immediately sprint up for this opportunity. It's been a while since he sparred. Moreover, Kaoru was present today and perhaps he can show off some skills to her. He knew her strong interest in Kendo and would give it all to use it to his advantage. _And perhaps she will get back together with me…_

However, he was a split second late.

"Yes, Kamiya, you would like to be a volunteer?"

"Hai, sensei," Kaoru replied as she grabbed her mask and bokken. She walked to the middle of the gymnasium, where Kenshin was standing. While walking towards him, she smiled at him and waited for any sign of response. _This is going to be interesting_, Kaoru thought to herself.

Kenshin stared back at this raven-haired beauty with wide eyes. _No, wait, this isn't happening. Kamiya Kaoru, the most beautiful girl of this school, is walking towards me. _His heart was thumping loudly against his chest, ready to jump out and announce to the world his undeniable attraction towards Kamiya Kaoru.

"Ready?" Kaoru asked as she put her mask and got into ready position.

"H-hai…" Kenshin replied nervously. He was shaking as he put on his own mask and gripped his sword tightly. "A-ano… Are you going to use that bamboo sword?"

"Don't underestimate me," Kaoru said harshly as she charged towards him. With a flick of her wrist, her bokken reached his ribs with ease.

Kenshin, still in a daze, did not anticipate the attack. However, he was able to jump high enough to avoid contact. "Kamiya-san, you should never use a bokken in a sword match with a real sword," Kenshin suggested kindly.

Kaoru was not happy with his polite speech. How dare this man treat her this way! She aimed her bokken up towards his feet and managed to knock him out of balance. He landed unsteadily on his feet. Kaoru did not miss this chance and charged at him again. As Kaoru got closer, Kenshin could not help but to get a whiff of the pure jasmine scent. It was enthralling yet toxic. He tried to defend himself by extending his sword-less arm, however, to only have touched Kaoru's chest within that split second. In that split second, both of them stopped their graceful movements and stared unbelieving at each other. Kenshin was red, afraid that Kaoru will get angry at the inappropriate gesture. Kaoru was red, that this man was not as innocent as she perceived him to be. Kaoru, unwillingly to give in as an easy woman, gripped her bokken tightly and reached her target. She knocked Kenshin off balance by piercing right at his shoulder.

"Is that all you got?" Kaoru asked mockingly.

This angered Kenshin. Despite being spellbound by this beauty young woman, he was not going to let her insult his swordsman's pride. He jumped up again, aiming his sword down at her. With a battle cry, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu! Sou ryu sen!"

The coach, Aoshi, and Soujiro all involuntarily jerked up. _Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?_

Kaoru was not anticipating this sudden comeback as the sword hit her left ribs, hard. She fell backwards and hit the gymnasium floor with a loud thud. Everyone stood up from the bleachers and was astonished. The great Kamiya Kaoru was left defeated within less than ten minutes of a spar.

Kaoru was on one knee with her other knee under her chin. She was panting and holding her bokken tightly in her hand. She looked down at her bokken. Shock was written all across her face. The other half of her bokken was on the other side of the gymnasium, right at the coach's feet, and this half was battered. She could not believe it. Not only was she defeated, but the bokken she cherished the most, the bokken she always had faith in, was left in that condition.

She glanced up at the skilled warrior. Into those amber depths she stared—she felt something deep down her core, as if some strange connection with those deep amber eyes. Those amber eyes stared back at her with sorrow, as if seeking for some form of forgiveness. Instinctively, she knew she found her next target. Goal: seduce Himura Kenshin and make him pay for everything that happened to her today.


End file.
